Puff Deterrence Limited-Time Return

Shen Nian stayed at Xia Yanchun's house for the entire morning. Since Shen Yue was coming back in the afternoon, he planned to go grocery shopping at noon.

Buying fireworks could wait until later, or even tomorrow wouldn't be too late.

Usually, once people turn eighteen, they don't really like setting off fireworks anymore. When Shen Nian logged into his games on New Year's Eve in the past, many of his friends were online. Compared to lighting fireworks, everyone seemed to prefer playing games.

The reason they liked fireworks so much back then was that they didn't have smartphones to play with.

Fireworks were the kind of thing you might not play with, but you couldn't do without. Especially on New Year's Eve, no matter what, you had to set off a massive string of ten thousand firecrackers to liven things up.

There was still fish at home, so Shen Nian bought some pickled mustard greens, planning to make a pot of pickled fish. Paired with some lamb chops, roast duck, and finally a pot of pork bone soup, the family's reunion dinner would be just this simple and ordinary.

At three in the afternoon, a phone call from Shen Yue dragged Shen Nian to the entrance of the town.

"Did you not bring anything back with you?" Shen Nian asked curiously, seeing Shen Yue empty-handed.

"It's not like I don't have clothes to wear at home. What is there to bring?"

"Did you bring your tablet back?"

"I did." Shen Yue waved the insulated bag in her hand. "I brought you milk tea. Hurry up and say thank you, sis."

"Whoa, thanks, sis!"

He really had to thank her for this. Since Shen Nian came back, he hadn't had drinks more than twice, let alone milk tea. Even if he wasn't addicted to milk tea, going without it for so long made him crave it a bit.

The milk tea shops in town were really nothing to write home about. There were a lot of rowdy youths inside, but that was secondary. The main issue was that the boss didn't care about people smoking. Who would want to buy food in a place reeking of smoke?

Moreover, the milk tea tasted like it was brewed from cheap powder, a far cry from the taste of chain brands.

After driving Shen Yue home, Shen Nian slipped right into the kitchen.

His lamb chops weren't finished yet. Cooking this kind of banquet-level dish required a lot of care and numerous ingredients. Shen Nian had never made lamb chops before, so he was inexperienced and had no idea how they would taste.

This was a batch of lamb chops that could clear heat and detoxify the body; whether it tasted good was another story.

Footsteps approached from a distance. Shen Nian thought it was Shen Yue, but when he turned to glance, he realized it was Xia Yanchun.

"Cooking lamb?" Xia Yanchun walked a circle around the kitchen with her hands behind her back. The aroma of the lamb chops had drifted all the way to her house.

"Did you follow the smell here?"

Seeing Shen Nian's silly appearance with an apron tied around him and a spatula in hand, Xia Yanchun covered her mouth and giggled. "Hehe, you're a little chef boy."

"Damn, you're being too weird."

"It smells so good. Are we having a feast tonight?"

"My sister is back, so I have to cook something good for this lazy pig."

"Sister Shen Yue is back?"

After saying that, Xia Yanchun couldn't even be bothered with Shen Nian anymore. She dashed upstairs in a flash to go play with Shen Yue.

The master and apprentice reunited, terrifying Shen Nian to tears.

The back of both houses had small kitchens built with red bricks and ceramic tiles, topped with blue awning panels that clattered loudly whenever it rained.

It wasn't just their two houses; almost the entire row of residents had the same setup. Often, cats belonging to other people would sunbathe on the roofs.

This kind of backyard kitchen wasn't rare in the small town. Some were built right next to the houses, and if the adjacent land was unsold, people would use it to grow vegetables.

Shen Nian busied himself alone in the kitchen, making the lamb chops look quite professional. At first glance, one might think they were made by a village banquet chef.

Shen Nian took a taste.

Holy crap, these lamb chops pack a punch!

So delicious.

Shen Nian felt his culinary skills were so good that if he went to sell fried noodles, he could monopolize an entire snack street.

[Glimmer Experience] You're too good, I'm literally crying.

Give your bro a hug and tell me what's on your mind.

By the time he finished cooking, it was already 5:00 PM. As soon as Shen Nian went up to the second floor, he heard Xia Yanchun and Shen Yue laughing and chatting.

"Are you two hungry?"

"Is it time to eat?" Shen Yue's eyes lit up. "I'm hungry. When are Mom and the others coming back?"

"If you're hungry, just eat first. There's no need to wait for Mom and Dad to come back."

"Then I'll go eat."

Shen Yue hadn't eaten much all day. Heaven knows how girls can endure it so well.

If Shen Nian skipped two meals, he would have long starved into a skeleton gold-farming bot, going beep-beep-boop-boop.

"Aren't you eating?" Shen Nian looked at Xia Yanchun, who was still on the sofa watching a variety show.

"I'm not hungry, plus I'll be going home to eat soon."

"You can eat at my place too, it's not like we wouldn't feed you."

"Never mind, I'll just have a bite of lamb when I head back later." Xia Yanchun patted the seat next to her. "Come here, come here."

"What for?"

Shen Nian plopped down next to her, instinctively crossing his legs and resting them on the coffee table.

"Have you given that necklace to Auntie yet?"

"Uh, not yet..."

"Not yet?!"

Even though she deliberately lowered her voice, Xia Yanchun couldn't help but exclaim out loud upon hearing Shen Nian's answer.

He had bought it before the holidays even started, and he had borrowed money from her to do it. He had promised to give it when he came back for winter break. Now it was almost New Year's, and school would start just a few days after that.

"I thought you had given it to her ages ago."

Shen Nian scratched his cheek. "Well, it's almost New Year's anyway, I'll just give it to her on New Year's Eve."

"Up to you. New Year's Eve is pretty good too."

"Ugh, I'm exhausted from cooking. Chunbao, I desperately need someone to give me a massage right now." Shen Nian turned slightly, presenting his back to Xia Yanchun.

"Honestly."

Rolling up her sleeves a bit, Xia Yanchun's hands squeezed hard on Shen Nian's shoulders a few times.

Shen Nian found it quite comfortable, but Xia Yanchun only massaged him for a minute before pulling her hands back to regain her stamina. After a short pause, she started squeezing him again.

At first, it was a proper massage, going from his shoulders to his arms, and then from his arms to his waist. Her strength kept fading until finally, she was just lightly thumping Shen Nian's shoulders one tap at a time.

For someone who didn't know how to massage, using finger strength to massage someone else was pure torture.

Her finger muscles quickly grew sore. Afraid that resting too soon would make Shen Nian mock her for being weak, Xia Yanchun kept forcing herself to massage him.

"A little lower, a little lower, yeah, yeah... Ah, that feels good."

"That's enough, my hands are sore." Xia Yanchun complained with her little mouth, but her hands kept pressing on Shen Nian's back.

"You're way too weak."

"..."

Even though she forced herself to keep massaging, she still couldn't escape being called a weakling? Then what the hell was the point of persisting?

Throwing her hands up, Xia Yanchun quit. She glanced at the time and realized she had actually been massaging Shen Nian for about ten minutes, much longer than she thought.

He only cooked a meal! A ten-minute massage should definitely be enough to make him feel better!

"Not gonna lie, even though you're really weak, the massage was actually quite effective." Shen Nian twisted his shoulders and neck, putting on a show.

With his high spirits and his naturally strong physique, how could cooking a meal possibly tire him out?

"Call me weak again and I'll hit you."

Emboldened by the fact that Shen Yue was eating downstairs, Xia Yanchun bravely stretched out her arms and, like a sloth, hung most of her body weight onto Shen Nian.

"Go ahead and hit me. In a minute, I'll punch you into a cream puff."

The cream puff threat made a limited-time return.

"I'm not playing with you anymore."

Throwing a little tantrum, Xia Yanchun ran off in her slippers.

Tonight, she was definitely going to lock the window and make him beg on the balcony before letting him in.

Everyone returned to their respective homes.

After Shen Nian finished eating, he sat on the first floor for a while before heading up to the third floor to take a shower.

It had been quite warm a while ago, but the temperature had started to drop again recently. During the day, it was only around seventeen or eighteen degrees Celsius when the sun was out, and at night, it plummeted to eleven or twelve. In a couple of days, on New Year's Eve, it was expected to drop back down to five or six degrees.

This year was indeed the coldest one yet. Shen Nian checked the weather forecast and saw that on the coldest day in February, the lowest temperature would be a mere two degrees, with a high of only five.

Some people had already started setting off fireworks. Sparks shot high into the sky and exploded with a boom, casting a brilliant, colorful glow over everyone's faces.

A girl riding an electric scooter was too scared to keep driving forward. She could only wait from a distance for the fireworks to finish, watching them go off one after another.

Downstairs, Shen Yue was sitting there—who knew since when—gnawing on a piece of sugarcane while playing on her phone. Chen Minyue was there too. Shen Nian didn't see Shen Shi; he had most likely gone over to a friend's place for tea again.

Shen Nian threw on a coat and went down to the first floor before remembering that his milk tea was still sitting in the fridge unconsumed. He took a detour to the kitchen to grab it.

"Auntie, where is Xia Yanchun?" Shen Nian asked, holding the milk tea. He only saw Wen Zhining.

"Just call up to her and she'll come down."

"Xia Yanchun! Come down and let's go buy fireworks!" Shen Nian shouted toward the third floor.

Although there was no verbal response, Shen Nian saw the light in the third-floor bedroom turn off.

A short while later, Xia Yanchun walked out shuffling in her slippers.

Her feet were wrapped in white cotton socks and stuffed into pink slippers, a look that wasn't flattering in the slightest. But it was late at night, and Haji Chun was simply too lazy to care about her image.

"I'm here. Let's take your scooter."

"Sure." Shen Nian handed the milk tea over. "Here, my treat."

"Huh? Did a branch of this milk tea brand open in our town?"

"No, my sister bought it when she came back. I just forgot to drink it."

"Oh, got it."

Xia Yanchun was delighted. Even though she didn't drink sweet beverages very often, having an occasional cup of milk tea was quite a treat!

The only downside was that the milk tea was cold, which wasn't quite as satisfying as a hot drink, but it wasn't a big deal. Xia Yanchun poked the straw in and took a huge gulp, instantly feeling wonderful.

Shen Nian pushed his electric scooter out. "Hop on, hop on."

"Coming."

Xia Yanchun clumsily climbed onto the scooter, settling securely onto the back seat. "Mom, Shen Nian and I are going to buy fireworks."

"Alright, drive slowly since it's dark out."

"Did you hear that?" Xia Yanchun patted Shen Nian's shoulder.

"I got it, Auntie. I'm a very steady driver."